Farm Animals

Antimicrobial Resistance and Animal Welfare: A Dual Crisis

The extensive use of antibiotics in livestock production drives antimicrobial resistance with human health implications while masking the poor welfare conditions that generate disease requiring treatment.

Key Facts

Over 73% of global antibiotic use occurs in animal agriculture
Colistin, a last-resort human antibiotic, is used extensively in poultry production in some countries
WHO has declared AMR one of the greatest threats to human health
High welfare conditions including lower density and enrichment reduce disease rates and antibiotic need
Denmark reduced agricultural antibiotic use by 50% while maintaining production through welfare improvements

Welfare Considerations

The relationship between animal welfare and antibiotic use is bidirectional: poor welfare conditions increase disease rates requiring antibiotic treatment, and antibiotic treatment enables poor welfare conditions to continue rather than being addressed. Solving antibiotic resistance in agriculture requires improving animal welfare conditions that drive disease in the first place.

What You Can Do

Choose animal products from antibiotic-stewardship certified farms
Advocate for international limits on prophylactic antibiotic use in agriculture
Support legislative bans on growth-promotion antibiotic use
Reduce meat consumption to decrease demand from antibiotic-dependent intensive systems
Donate to organizations working on both AMR policy and farm animal welfare improvement